UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, D.C. 20549
FORM 8-K
CURRENT REPORT
Pursuant to SECTION 13 OR 15(d)
of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934
Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): September 9, 2021
Blackstone Secured Lending Fund
(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)
Delaware | 814 - 01299 | 82-7020632 | ||
(State or other jurisdiction of incorporation) |
(Commission File Number) |
(IRS Employer Identification No.) |
345 Park Avenue, 31st Floor New York, NY |
10154 | |
(Address of principal executive offices) | (Zip Code) |
Registrants telephone number, including area code: (212) 503-2100
Not Applicable
(Former name or former address, if changed since last report)
Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:
☐ | Written communications pursuant to Rule 425 under the Securities Act (17 CFR 230.425) |
☐ | Soliciting material pursuant to Rule 14a-12 under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14a-12) |
☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 14d-2(b) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.14d-2(b)) |
☐ | Pre-commencement communications pursuant to Rule 13e-4(c) under the Exchange Act (17 CFR 240.13e-4(c)) |
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act: None
Title of each class | Trading Symbol(s) | Name of each exchange on which registered | ||
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 or Rule 12b2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Item 5.02 | Appointment of Certain Officers |
On September 9, 2021, Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors LP (Blackstone Credit) announced that Carlos Whitaker has been appointed as the President of Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (the Company). The board of trustees of the Company approved Mr. Whitakers appointment on August 4, 2021 for an annual term commencing on September 7, 2021.
Carlos Whitaker, born in 1976, is a Senior Managing Director in Blackstone Credit, the parent company of the Companys investment adviser, and the President of the Company and of Blackstone Private Credit Fund. Prior to joining Blackstone Credit on September 7, 2021, Mr. Whitaker served as Head of New York and Co-Head of EMEA Equity Advisory Sales of Credit Suisse in the Investment Banking division. As a senior salesperson, Carlos was responsible for developing relationships with large institutional clients, profitably growing revenues, selling initial public offerings and secondary offerings, as well as cross-selling the banks other products. His clients consisted of large institutional asset management firms that employ a myriad of investment strategies including long only, long/short equity, event driven, risk arbitrage, and global macro. Mr. Whitaker began his career at Credit Suisse in 2000 as an Analyst. Mr. Whitaker sits on the boards of New York for McCombs and Rising Stars Capital Management, which is a nonprofit focused on increasing Black representation in the finance industry. Mr. Whitaker graduated with honors from the University of Texas at Austin, holding a Bachelor of Arts from the Plan II Honors Program, Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Master in Professional Accounting.
A copy of Blackstone Credits press release announcing the foregoing matters is attached as Exhibit 99.1 to this Current Report on Form 8-K and is incorporated herein by reference.
Item 9.01 | Financial Statements and Exhibits |
(d) Exhibit
Exhibit |
Description | |
99.1 | Press Release of Blackstone Alternative Credit Advisors LP dated September 9, 2021 |
SIGNATURE
Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.
BLACKSTONE SECURED LENDING FUND | ||||
Date: September 9, 2021 | By: | /s/ Marisa J. Beeney | ||
Name: Marisa J. Beeney | ||||
Title: Chief Compliance Officer, Chief Legal Officer and Secretary |
Exhibit 99.1
Blackstone Announces Three New Senior Leaders in Private Credit
New York September 9, 2021 Blackstone (NYSE: BX) today announced three new senior leaders in Blackstone Credit, the firms $163 billion credit business. Blackstone Credit is the fastest growing segment of the firm driven by strong demand for private credit products from institutional, insurance and individual investors. The three leaders announced today will play critical roles in sourcing investment opportunities, supporting portfolio companies and scaling the firms business development companies (BDCs), Blackstone Private Credit Fund (BCRED) and Blackstone Secured Lending Fund (BXSL). BCRED and BXSL are part of Blackstones rapidly growing global direct lending platform.
| Carlos Whitaker joins from Credit Suisse and will serve as President of both BCRED and BXSL. |
| Kate Rubenstein will move from Blackstones Portfolio Operations Group and will be Chief Operating Officer of both BCRED and BXSL. |
| Chris Sullivan joins from Barclays and will be Head of Sponsor Coverage for Blackstone Credit. |
Commenting on the appointments, Dwight Scott, Global Head of Blackstone Credit, said: We are thrilled to welcome such strong additional talent and leadership as our private credit platform grows, driven in part by the tremendous demand we see for BCRED, which we launched earlier this year. Carlos, Kate and Chris are exceptional leaders and will help us continue to scale the business while striving to deliver compelling returns to our investors.
Carlos Whitaker said: Im excited to join the Blackstone Credit team to help further accelerate their direct lending efforts. Dwight has established an incredible culture and the teams leading private credit platform is driving innovation, delivering compelling solutions to investors and providing vital support to U.S. companies.
Kate Rubenstein said: I look forward to returning to the Blackstone Credit team to help scale the BDCs and support their success by bringing all of Blackstones resources to bear.
Chris Sullivan said: Blackstone has market leading momentum and strength across its credit platform. I look forward to deepening our already strong relationships with a diverse group of sponsors to provide private credit solutions and communicate the strategic advantages of Blackstone Credit in the marketplace.
Bios
Carlos Whitaker will be a Senior Managing Director in Blackstone Credit. He joins Blackstone from Credit Suisse, where he was a Managing Director and Head of New York and Co-Head of EMEA Advisory Sales. Whitaker began his career at Credit Suisse in 2000 as an Analyst. Whitaker is a member of the McCombs School of Business Advisory Council at the University of Texas at Austin. He also sits on the boards of New York for McCombs and Rising Stars Capital Management, which is a nonprofit focused on improving diversity in the finance industry. Whitaker received a Bachelor of Arts from the Plan II Honors Program, a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and a Master in Professional Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin.
Kate Rubenstein will be a Managing Director in Blackstone Credit. Previously, she was with the Blackstone Portfolio Operations group where she led the Blackstone Advantage program, focusing on building networks and expanding access to resources for portfolio companies across Blackstone business
units. Prior to that, Rubenstein created and led the GSO Advantage platform (now Blackstone Credit Advantage). Prior to Blackstone, Rubenstein spent ten years with GE Capital. She is on the Blackstone Charitable Foundation Leadership Council and on the Board of Lets Get Ready, a non-profit organization that provides low income students support to gain admission to and graduate from college. Rubenstein received an MBA from The Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, where she was a Roy H. Park Leadership Fellow, and a bachelors degree from Dartmouth College.
Chris Sullivan will be a Senior Managing Director in Blackstone Credit. He joins Blackstone from Barclays where he was the Global Head of Financial Sponsors, responsible for driving the business that managed relationships with private equity clients globally. Sullivan joined Barclays from Lehman Brothers in 2008 where he was a Managing Director in Financial Sponsors working with a wide range of private equity clients to source, structure and execute transactions. He currently serves on the board of the Bryn Mawr Hospital Foundation. Chris graduated with a B.A. in Economics & Accounting from the College of the Holy Cross and earned his MBA from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
About Blackstone Credit
Blackstone Credit is one of the worlds largest credit-focused asset managers, with $163 billion in AUM. We seek to generate attractive risk-adjusted returns for our clients by investing across the entire corporate credit market, from public debt to private loans. Our capital supports a wide range of companies across sectors and geographies, enabling businesses to expand, invest, and navigate changing market environments.
About Blackstone
Blackstone is the worlds largest alternative asset manager. We seek to create positive economic impact and long-term value for our investors, the companies we invest in, and the communities in which we work. We do this by using extraordinary people and flexible capital to help companies solve problems. Our $684 billion in assets under management include investment vehicles focused on private equity, real estate, public debt and equity, life sciences, growth equity, opportunistic, non-investment grade credit, real assets and secondary funds, all on a global basis. Further information is available at www.blackstone.com. Follow Blackstone on Twitter @Blackstone.
Contact
Kate Holderness
Kate.holderness@blackstone.com
646-482-8774